Standards, Still a Good Thing

A friend recently told me that standards are a lot like toothbrushes–everyone agrees that they’re a good thing, but no one wants to use someone else’s. But whether yours or someone else’s, your breath will stink and your teeth will still rot if you don’t use one.

So look for a fresh brush, because NISO (the National Information Standards Organization) has some new leadership. Todd Carpenter takes over as managing director on September 1. Carpenter was most recently director of business development with BioOne, and has spent several years in the scholarly publishing field with Johns Hopkins University and Haworth presses.

“NISO’s new strategic plan calls for a new leader with a deep understanding of our members’ needs as well as their existing practices and priorities.”
–Carl Grant, President and COO of VTLS and NISO Board Chair

“Standards development is the single best example of where cooperation serves the interests of the library, publishers, and technical-provider communities. I am excited about implementing NISO’s strategic plan, which is focused on improving the efficiency of information standards development, expanding the scope of NISO’s services, and enhancing involvement of each of NISO’s key constituencies.”
–Todd Carpenter

Carpenter’s appointment comes at a critical time for the standards body, after a Blue Ribbon panel addressed its future, a new strategic plan was announced, and 20-year standards veteran and executive director Pat Harris departed last November. All the strategic planning documents are worth a good look.

Put simply, the ‘N’ in NISO must stand for nimble. In an age of web mashups, rapid prototype deployment, and an information clientele with higher and higher expectations, this membership and volunteer organization has many challenges in front of it, but many opportunities as well. I know I am not alone in wishing Mr. Carpenter the best of luck as NISO moves forward.

[This post originally appeared as part of American Libraries’ Hectic Pace Blog and is archived here.]